Saudade
'Saudade '''is one of the five continents of Goia and the only to have a detailed history with information kept on it. It is home to many varieties of flora and fauna found nowhere else on the planet, as well as four species of intelligent races. Saudade is made up of three major landforms—the Mainland, Mangata Island, and the Fayne Island—though there is evidence to suggest that the two islands were once connected to the Mainland. Saudade's capital is the walled region of Mokita, located in the northernmost tip of the Mainland. Saudade is best known for its many magical species. History Early Civilization (Prior to 0 AF) For over 50,000 years, Saudade was home to one intelligent, mystical race of magic users: the Fayne. In accordance to legend, Fayne are said to have created all other intelligent and unintelligent life on the planet, from the currently ruling race of Elementals to the tortuously unintelligent aquatic species of Beavies. It is unknown how exactly the Fayne gained all of their mystical abilities and how they were passed on to the other species, but the wide-spread belief is that all magic in Saudade comes from something on the Isle of the Fayne, something that the Fayne have been protecting, which is why they have not been seen in thousands of years. The Beginning of the UEN (0 AF – 100 AF) In the year 0 AF (After Fayne), the Fayne retreated to their island, leaving the three other intelligent races (Elementals, Moores, and Salamans) to fend for themselves. This was difficult at first, as the three other races had depended heavily on the Fayne's powers for keeping their rapidly advancing societies in check. Many attempts were made to get the Fayne to return, with offerings and rituals becoming commonplace. By the year 10 AF, the Fayne were regarded as godlike, and to this day many believe that the Fayne's return is the only thing that can restore order to the nations. In 30 AF, after many years of chaos, Sonder, the Pyeri Elemental tribe leader of the time, from the northernmost tip of the Mainland, established the United Elemental Nations in Mokita, along with the respective leaders of each of the other Elemental sects, in order to bring peace to the entire continent. This establishment also created the nation states of Moori and Mangata Island, which also fell under the power of the newly-dubbed Minister Sonder fu Pre, despite the fact they had no representation in their new government. This caused the Salamans and Moores to stage a series of uprisings between the years 30 AF and 100 AF, leading to the exile of all Salamans to Mangata Island, and the enslavement of a number of Moores to noble Elemental families and warriors. The Moores who were not captured fled to the barren wasteland of Rie (now known as Moori), where all free Moores reside to this day. Peaceful Era (100 AF – 2000 AF) Following the uprisings, the Saudadian nations lived in relative peace for approximately two thousand years, as society advanced into what it is at the present year (2491 AF). Mokita became a walled capitol state, home only to the Elemental elite and their Moore servants. Additionally, the states of Ayera, Pyere, Tarye, and Hwoun were created. Initially, only elementals of the respective elements lived in each of the states, but within the last five hundred years some mixing has become more common, though each state is still dominated by their originally intended race. The Hallas Era (2000 AF – Present) Beginnings of the Hallas Era (2000 AF – 2015 AF) In the year 2000 AF, there was the first recorded case of an Elemental child who did not develop elemental abilities by their fourteenth birthday. This child was Halla ya Moso, the daughter of Ayera Elemental nobility. Due to parental and scientific concern, Halla was taken to the castle where she was tested on by the greatest doctors of the era, to no avail. Additionally, a number of sacrifices were made to the Fayne in hopes of giving the child powers, mostly to her Patron Fayne, Lain, daughter of Ohre, Queen of the Fayne. Exactly one week after her birthday, the castle was attacked by a number of beings clothed completely in blinding white. Nearly everyone in the castle was slaughtered, though luckily Minister Reagor fu Tana and his immediate family had been visiting Ayera at the time and were uninjured. Halla's body was never found, though for a long time it was assumed she had perished along with the rest of the castle. However, due to later cases, it is assumed that Halla was kidnapped rather than immediately murdered. The massacre was initially thought to have been carried out by Moores, who—while never reaching the levels they had in the early era—had staged uprisings throughout the Ministry's reign. This caused a number of hate-crimes towards Moores, including the public executions of some servants. However, Moore involvement was eventually ruled out after it was made public that Moore servants were killed alongside their masters in the massacre. Approximately two months after the massacre, two more cases of children without powers were reported to Mokitan scholars—one, a peasant girl in the Tarya countryside, and the other the son of a famous painter in Hwoun—though no connection was initially made to Halla ya Moso's case. However, like ya Moso, both children went missing a week following their fourteenth birthday, leaving the massacre of their entire families in their wake. Neighbors reported humanoid beings covered in white as the culprits. While some made the connections between these powerless children and the massacres, the majority were in denial. It took a total of six more murders in all five of the Elemental states for it to be publicly acknowledged. A number of methods were employed to try and stop them from happening. Ta tu Telly, a Tarya peasant boy, was killed in late 2002 AF in an attempt to stop another murder, but the figures in white came regardless and killed not just his household, but his entire home village of Toska. A number of additional methods were tried by the Elementals, all resulting in failure, until one Pyeri working-man, Mat fu Mira, unable to kill his only son (and family) himself, simply sent the child away. While the child was never seen again, fu Mira survived, and it was discovered that the only way to avoid massacre was to do the same and send the children away. Since this realization, the number of massacres has gone down exponentially, though there are still upwards of three dozen a year. This is either to families unable to part with their children, or children hiding their powerlessness from their parents, scared of being sent away. Children without abilities are now referred to as "hallas," after the first girl who had none, and the beings in white—while having differing nicknames regionally—are often referred to as "Iktsarpok," the name of a monster in a famous Elemental bedtime story. Hallas Era Modern Age (2440 AF – present) Coming up on the 500th anniversary of the Halla Castle Massacre, the Ministry has faced increasing pressures to finally put an end to the Iktsarpok and hallas. Paranoia over hallas has led to increasing religiosity in some sects of the UEN, and has also caused massive civil distress. Sora fa Pre, the current leader of the UEN, Mangata Island, and Moori, has—in her attempts to calm the people–has created much stigma against the Moores, rekindling old rumors about their involvement, and blames peasants for attempting to smuggle their hallas into populated areas and causing more people to be killed. All seemed completely hopeless, until in 2463, a Pyeri child known only to the public as Sun, was born, and on his patronage day, a message supposedly from the Fayne appeared in smoke before the child's entire family and a large amount of other witnesses: ''"The sun of Sonder has finally come, retribution has begun. The White will fall, for at his call, the bloodshed will soon end for all." This prophecy, known as Sun's Prophecy, has been widespread in the UEN to let the people know that the end of the massacres and powerlessness will come with him. Since Sun's fourteenth birthday, he has been traveling the five states of the UEN with a young woman and a Moore servant, aiding in disputes and participating in battles against the Iktsarpok, and hopes to end the suffering and within the next few years.